'Devastating': Two dead after accidents at Swedish battery plant Northvolt
Two people have died in workplace accidents at Northvolt's battery factory in Skellefteå in the space of two weeks, in incidents the company's CEO has described as 'devastating'.
A man in his 60s was confirmed dead after a serious accident at Northvolt involving a crane on Thursday, the man's family told Folkbladet.
Another man aged 25 who was injured in an different accident at the same site back in November was also confirmed to have died on Friday, according to local radio P4 Västerbotten.
"This is a dark day," CEO Peter Carlsson told TT newswire.
"We have come together to mourn," he added. "The situation is devastating, and we are now working hour by hour to help each other through this."
The man who died on Thursday was employed by a construction company which was working on the Northvolt site. He passed away after a pallet fork fell on him, leaving another colleague with serious injuries.
Northvolt told TT that they were in "close dialogue" with the building firm and that they would continue to support them and their employees during the crisis and during an investigation of the accident.
A preliminary investigation is being led by a prosecutor at Rema, the national environmental and work environment unit. According to Northvolt, crisis support has also been put into place.
The accident which led to the death of the man in his 20s, an explosion in a cleaning machine in connection with battery production, is also being investigated as a possible breach of workplace safety legislation.
Earlier this week, an unrelated workplace accident at a building site in Sundbyberg, north of Stockholm, left five dead after a construction elevator collapsed at a site for a 14-storey apartment building.
Investigations are under way to determine what caused the accident and whether anyone should be held responsible. Some 50 builders were working at the site.
The victims were working for a subcontractor to the main construction company Andersson Company.
A total of 52 people have died in workplace-related accidents in Sweden in 2023, the highest number in a decade.
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A man in his 60s was confirmed dead after a serious accident at Northvolt involving a crane on Thursday, the man's family told Folkbladet.
Another man aged 25 who was injured in an different accident at the same site back in November was also confirmed to have died on Friday, according to local radio P4 Västerbotten.
"This is a dark day," CEO Peter Carlsson told TT newswire.
"We have come together to mourn," he added. "The situation is devastating, and we are now working hour by hour to help each other through this."
The man who died on Thursday was employed by a construction company which was working on the Northvolt site. He passed away after a pallet fork fell on him, leaving another colleague with serious injuries.
Northvolt told TT that they were in "close dialogue" with the building firm and that they would continue to support them and their employees during the crisis and during an investigation of the accident.
A preliminary investigation is being led by a prosecutor at Rema, the national environmental and work environment unit. According to Northvolt, crisis support has also been put into place.
The accident which led to the death of the man in his 20s, an explosion in a cleaning machine in connection with battery production, is also being investigated as a possible breach of workplace safety legislation.
Earlier this week, an unrelated workplace accident at a building site in Sundbyberg, north of Stockholm, left five dead after a construction elevator collapsed at a site for a 14-storey apartment building.
Investigations are under way to determine what caused the accident and whether anyone should be held responsible. Some 50 builders were working at the site.
The victims were working for a subcontractor to the main construction company Andersson Company.
A total of 52 people have died in workplace-related accidents in Sweden in 2023, the highest number in a decade.
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